F-35 fighter jets grounded over oxygen issues

About a quarter of the F-35 fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp., or 55 planes, have stopped flying until further notice because of irregularities in pilots’ oxygen supplies, Reuters reports, citing US Air Force spokesman Captain Mark Graffs.

Training flights at Arizona’s Luke Air Force Base, where the 55 jets are based, were canceled on Friday and scheduled to resume on Monday, but the grounding was extended indefinitely. More than 220 F-35s are flying worldwide.

The grounding comes at a critical time for Lockheed, which plans to demonstrate the advanced jet at the Paris Air Show next week. F-35 air operations at other bases continued, U.S. Air Force officials said.

The F-35 business accounts for about 37 percent of Lockheed’s total revenue. During the first quarter, Lockheed’s revenue from its aeronautics business increased 8 percent to US$4.11 billion, led by higher sales of the F-35.

Luke Air Force Base, located northwest of Phoenix, is home to the 56th Fighter Wing. The base canceled local flying operations for its F-35A Lightning II aircraft due to five incidents in which pilots experienced symptoms resembling hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, Graff said on Friday at the Pentagon.

The Air Force said the incidents occurred from May 2 to Thursday, and that in each case the aircraft’s backup oxygen system worked as designed and the jets were able to land safely. The base’s F-35A Lightning II’s typically fly 25 training missions each weekday, base officials said.

The halt in flights at Luke Air Force Base was extended so the Air Force could study the issue with pilots, maintenance workers and medical professionals, said Major Rebecca Heyse, a base spokeswoman.

Luke is the largest F-35 base in the world and trains US pilots as well as those of allied countries.

A Lockheed representative said the company would help the Air Force address the issue. Lockheed and its main partners, Northrop Grumman Corp., United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney and BAE Systems Plc, have been developing and building F-35s for the US military and 10 allies.

Minority Muslims in the southern Philippines cast votes on Monday in a long-awaited referendum on autonomy, the culmination of a peace process to end decades of separatist conflict in a region plagued by poverty,...

Recent macro data from the leading economies point to a widespread slowdown. What is more concerning is not just a logical moderation in the path of growth, but acceleration in the weakening of economies...

Ever since he took office two years ago, US President Donald Trump has been vigorously promoting the “America First” policy theme. A key element in that political agenda is tightening the relatively loose immigration...

Tax systems that put a high burden on the poor mean public services are underfunded, stretching the gap between rich and poor and fueling global public anger, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International,...

Taiwan will step up its investigation of pro-Beijing newspapers accused by politicians on the self-ruled island of spreading fake news and surveillance activities that infringe national security, Reuters reports, citing a security official. Claimed...

The US Navy has not ruled out sending an aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, despite military technology advances by China that pose a greater threat to US warships than ever before, Reuters reports,...

Mohsin Khan is still at his job repairing aircraft hydraulics parts although the Singaporean turns 75 in a couple of months. His technical skills are prized by his employer, and as his eyesight deteriorated...

US President Donald Trump has canceled his delegation’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, next week due to the partial US government shutdown, Reuters reports, citing a statement released by Press...